115 pieces of sawn Paduak timber seized in Andaman

Port Blair, Oct 24 (UNI) Altogether 115 pieces of Paduak wood, measuring 2.2 cubic meters, were seized by Central Crime Station of Andaman Police.

Police said following a tip-off a CCS team mounted surveillance in the coastal area of Port Blair, the capital town of Andamans, a release from Police Headquarters said today.

At about 3.30 hours in the morning, last Saturday, the team noticed one truck and chased it. The truck's driver stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road and fled with other members of the truck.

However, two of them were apprehended on the spot, the release said.

Later, on checking the truck, 2.2 cubic meters of Padauk swan timber was found.

" The stolen Padauk swan timber was seized and a case was registered against the arrested persons under U/S379/34 IPC and investigation into the incident is in progress," the release added.

Andaman Padauk, Pterocarpus dalbergioides also known as Andaman redwood and Vermillion wood (United States) in found abundant in Andaman islands. The tree reaches a height of 80 to 120 ft, boles straight and cylindrical, clear to 40 ft; trunk diameters 2 to 4 ft above the buttresses.

Due to its hard and durable characteristic the wood is costly and often smuggled to mainland India from Andamans, it is reported. A huge number of poachers from neighboring countries also often raid inhabited islands of Andaman and Nicobar Chain for Padauk wood.

However, sources in Police department cleared that the present 115 pieces were illegally transported from some islands of Andaman Chain to Port Blair for private works.

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